ST. CROIX, VI – The Committee on Budget, Appropriations, and Finance, chaired by Senator Novelle E. Francis Jr., met in the Frits E. Lawaetz Legislative Conference Room to receive testimony for the Fiscal Year 2026 Budget from the Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center, the Department of Agriculture, the Public Employees Relations Board, the Virgin Islands Labor Management Committee and Legal Services of the Virgin Islands.

Darlene Baptiste, Chief Executive Officer of the Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center delivered a total proposed budget of $86,624,447. Personnel Services totals $34,856,492. Fringe totals $25,487,113. Supplies total $10,710,378. Other Services, including expenses related to physician and employee recruitment, professional services, and operational contracts totals $4,917,662. There are 501 total employees, including 473 full time and twenty-eight part time employees. In Fiscal Year 2025, there were forty-three new hires and sixty-four separations. This included forty-nine resignations. Four retirements, nine dismissals, one contract completion and one death. There are 123 vacancies.

Charges not included in the proposed budget includes the Capital Budget, reflecting a 3-year capital plan for FY 2025 through 2027, which totals $7.9 Million. This includes $2 Million for Cath Lab to support the resumption of cardiology services, Imaging, totalling $2.8 Million, including a new MRI machine, general and vascular ultrasound units, and upgrades to surgery and anaesthesia, including $1.2 million for new machines and various surgical monitoring and scope systems. Current accounts payable total $21.2 Million as of July 31, 2025, Accounts receivable increased to $84.9 Million from October 2024 to March 2025 from $71.1 Million. Balances for Medicare and Medicaid grew. Net patient revenue totalled $37.9 million between October of March of FY 2025. Uncompensated care to date for FY 2025 totalled $38.7 Million. Baptiste said that the Hospital has focused on expenditure reductions and revenue enhancement strategies. This has included a freeze on non-clinical hiring, reduced temporary healthcare physicians, physician compensation, supply cost reductions, new laboratory draw stations, and telehealth expansion. Uncompensated care totals $38.7 Million. The Hospital projects revenues of $88.1 Million.

Louis Petersen Jr., PhD, Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture delivered a total proposed general fund budget of $5,268,235. $4,585,694 is for Personnel and Fringe Benefits. $148,874 is for supplies, $160,000 is for utilities and $373,667 is for Other Services. $500,000 is expected to be contributed to the Agriculture Revolving Fund from the Tourism Advertising Revolving Fund and $246,277 for the Industrial Hemp Commission, under the miscellaneous category. There is a total of sixty-six budgeted positions. Fifty-nine are filled, and seven are vacant. There are twenty-six filled exempt positions and thirty-three classified filed positions. There are four exempt vacant positions and three classified vacant positions. Of the fifty-nine filled positions, forty-nine are in St. Croix, eight are in St. Thomas and two are in St. John. Total appropriation for FY 2026 is $6,014,512. Furthermore, $904,045 in non-appropriated funds is anticipated from the Agriculture Revolving Fund, generated from the sales and services of planting materials, equipment rentals and land rental feeds. The total amount of Federal grants from various sources such as the USDA Specialty Crops Grants, Forest Legacy Grants, and Urban Forestry Grants total $11,486,594.97.

Pierina Jacobs-Fieldman, Chairperson of the Public Employees Relations Board delivered a total proposed budget of $1,686,909. The PERB is comprised of a chairperson and four board members. Two positions are vacant. Jessica Philigence, Executive Director of the PERB delivered additional information. The PERB is budgeted for twelve positions. Ten are on St. Croix and two are St. Thomas. Personnel services totals $825,353. Fringe benefits total $360,744. Supplies total $45,750. Other services and Charges total $385,795. Utilities total $19,000. Capital Outlay totals $50,267. For Fiscal Year 2025, the PERB has filed sixty-two total cases. Fifty-seven cases are closed. 102 cases are pending. Twenty-four cases are pending at Superior Court. Fifty-three arbitration panels have been issued, and one appeal has been forwarded to mediation. Yirah Tutein, Executive Director of the Virgin Islands Labor Management Committee delivered its proposed budget of $265,000. $127,000 covers Personnel, $5,000 covers capital outlays. $11,000 covers fringe benefits. $10,000 covers office supplies. $112,000 covers other service and charges. The VILMC is comprised of ten members, with five members representing Labor and five representing management. It focuses on fostering engagement between labor and management by developing agency specific Labor Management Committees. Jacobs-Fieldman voiced concern that the Board did not currently have a quorum, which halts decisions on pending cases.

Shelby King Gaddy, Esq., Executive Director of Legal Services of the Virgin Islands delivered a total proposed budget of $2,007,700. This is unchanged from FY 2025. Gaddy stated that like similar legal aid entities in the United States, it is underfunded. There are currently five attorneys at LSVI, four in St. Croix, not including the Executive Director, and one in St. Thomas. It lost one attorney in 2025. It is still in search of a managing attorney and a junior staff attorney at the St. Thomas office. Legal Services of the Virgin Islands provides free high quality civil legal aid to low-income residents, seniors, victims of domestic violence, and other vulnerable populations.

Senators present at today’s Committee hearing were Chairman Novelle E. Francis Jr., Vice Chair Marvin A. Blyden, Dwayne M. DeGraff, Ray Fonseca, Hubert L. Frederick, and Kurt A. Vialet.

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